Airbus Military lands C-295 deal with Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan's air force is to receive up to eight C-295 medium transports under the terms of a new agreement signed with Airbus Military.

The nation's state-owned Kazspetsexport agency has signed a contract for two aircraft to be delivered by April 2013, plus a separate memorandum of understanding covering a planned further six, Airbus Military said on 1 March.

The production order also includes support services, spare parts and ground support equipment, according to the European manufacturer.

The C-295 is already operated by users including the Spanish air force

"Separate firm contracts will be signed progressively over the next few years," said Airbus Military, with the company to also deliver technical training to enable Kazakh personnel to support the type independently in the future.

The Kazakhstan air force's current airlift fleet includes a combined 10 Antonov An-12, An-24/26 and An-72 transports, as recorded by Flightglobal's MiliCAS database.